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AN  EFFECTIVE  EXHIBITION  OF  A 
COMMUNITY  SURVEY 


A    BRIEF    DESCRIPTION    OF    THE 
SPRINGFIELD  SURVEY  EXHIBITION 


U  N  I  V  h,  K  3  1  I'  ^ 


Reprinted  from    The  American   City 
Vol.  XII,  No.  2;  February,  1915 


Department  of  Surveys  and  Exhibits 
Russell  Sage  Foundation 
' —        I^EW  York  City 


Price  5  Cents 


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SCCONO    STREET 

Floor  plan  of  The  Springfield  Survey  Exhibition — "  One  Way  "  Exhibition — Follow  the  Arrows 


An  Effective  Exhibition  of  a  Community  Survey 


IN  Springfield,  IH.,  November  21  to  De- 
cember 2,  1914,  was  held  a  survey  ex- 
hibition which  embodied  many  excep- 
tional features  and  which  offers  practical 
suggestions  for  similar  work  in  other  cities. 

Several  years  ago  a  limited  sanitary  sur- 
vey in  Springfield  attracted  considerable 
attention  and  stimulated  locally  the  idea  of 
a  more  complete  social  survey.  This  idea 
was  nursed  and  cultivated  until  a  group  of 
influential  men  and  women,  representing 
many  interests  in  the  community,  became 
convinced  that  the  time  had  arrived  for 
such  an  undertaking. 

Application  was  made  to  the  Department 
of  Surveys  and  Exhibits  of  the  Russell  Sage 
Foundation,  and  in  due  season  a  plan  for  a 
social  survey  was  prepared.  The  local  com- 
mittee guaranteed  $6,000  of  the  proposed 
expenditure  for  the  survey  proper.  After 
the  local  data  were  gathered  and  while  the 
findings  were  being  worked  over  by  the 
several  surveyors,  the  Springfield  committee 
guaranteed  an  additional  expenditure  of 
$3,000  for  the  survey  exhibition.  The  final 
expenditures  for  the  survey  aggregated 
$12,000  or  more,  and  for  the  exhibition  ap- 
proximately $4,000,  of  which  total  Spring- 
field raised  about  $10,000,  the  rest  being 
contributed  by  the  Russell  Sage  Foundation. 
No  attempt  will  be  made  in  this  article  to 


describe  the  methods  or  to  detail  the  find- 
ings of  the  survey  itself.  These  will  be  cov- 
ered by  a  series  of  ten  reports  soon  to  be 
issued  for  the  General  Springfield  Survey 
Committee. 

The  sub-committees  formed  to  handle  the 
many  details  of  the  preparation  and  presen- 
tation of  the  exhibition  were  as  follows: 


Honorary  Committee 
Advisory  Committee 
Executive  Committee 

Finance  Committee 

Census  of  Useful  Peo- 
ple 

Directory   of  Organira- 
tions 

Committee      on      Com- 
mittees 

Office  Kquipment 

Office   Helpers 

Automobiles 
Committee  on   Exhibits 

Art 

Construction 

Decoration 

Drayage 

Furnishings 

Lettering 

Lighting 

Models 

Photographs 

Stereopticon  and   Mov- 


Committee  on  Promotion 

Arrangement     of     Ad- 
dresses 

Advertisement  Mention 

Cooperating 

County 

Excursions 

Handbook 

Newspaper  Discussion 

Out-of-Town    Organira- 
tions 

Press 

Printed   Matter 

Speakers 

Special   Days 
Committee     on     Informa- 
tion and  Management 

Care  of  School  Children 

Explainers 

Hospitality 

Lunch  Room 

Play  Demonstration 

Playhouse 

The  Summary 

Ushers 

Candies 


ing  Pictures 

The  first  step  in  enlisting  workers  for  the 
preparation  of  the  exhibition  was  the  "Cen- 
sus of  Useful  People."  About  three  months 
before  the  exhibition  this  census  was  made, 
starting  off  with  a  lively  newspaper  story 
with  the  headline,  "Are  You  a  Live  One?" 
A  committee,  composed  of  a  member  of  the 


388431 


A    SECTION    ON    CITY    AND    COUNTY    ADMINISTRATION 

This  exhibit  touched  very  briefly  on  a  few  of  the  problems  of  city  housekeeping.  Toy  fire  apparatus  was 
shown  on  shelves  mounted  on  the  face  of  a  panel.  The  street  model  in  the  foreground  was  a  home-made 
production,  adding  to  the  attractiveness  of  the  display  and  suggesting  some  practicable  possibilities  in  street 
planning. 


bchool  Board,  a  union  man,  a  prominent 
lodge  worker,  a  minister  and  others,  the 
whole  group  representing  a  wide  range  of 
interests,  made  the  census.  There  were 
listed  the  names  of  hundreds  cf  people  who 
might  be  considered  "useful"  for  a  great 
variety  of  services  in  preparation  for  the 
exhibition.  A  card  catalogue  was  made  of 
the  names,  addresses  and  special  interests 
of  these  useful  people.  On  the  basis  of  this 
catalogue  forty  committees  were  made  up 
on  which  several  hundred  people  served. 

During  two  months  preceding  the  open- 
ing of  the  exhibition,  a  campaign  of  public- 
ity and  promotion  was  carried  on  that  kept 
the  subject  of  the  survey  before  the  people 
pretty  constantly.  Enough  things  happened 
in  the  course  of  the  campaign  to  furnish 
good  daily  stories  for  the  papers ;  and  as  the 
campaign  grew,  more  and  more  people  not 
generally  associated  with  "uplift"  work 
were  drawn  in.  From  800  to  1,000  people 
took  some  part  in  the  preparation  or  in  the 
programs  of  the  exhibition  itself. 

One  method  of  enlisting  rpany  new  work- 
ers was  through  the  appointment  of  "coop- 
erating committees."  Organizations  of  all 
kinds  were  canvassed  systematically  and  in- 
vited to  appoint  a  committee  of  their  mem- 
bers to  represent  them  in  cooperation  with 
the  exhibition.  Some  forty  church  societies 
and  many  lodges,  labor  unions,  school  clubs 
and  others  responded  to  this  request. 


Many  people  were  persuaded  to  con- 
tribute services  that  would  have  greatly  in- 
creased the  cost  of  the  exhibition  if  they 
had  not  volunteered.  They  helped  partly 
because  their  leaders  were  energetic  and 
enthusiastic,  but  largely  because  the  work 
itself  was  interesting  and  the  spirit  of  the 
campaign  contagious.  These  services  in- 
cluded the  making  of  models  and  mechanical 
devices,  much  of  the  art  work,  special 
stories  for  the  newspapers,  clerical  work  in 
the  office  and  the  taking  of  photographs. 

All  of  the  out-of-town  publicity,  of  which 
there  was  a  generous  amount,  was  done  by 
volunteer  committees  without  cost  to  the 
exhibition  budget.  A  Committee  on  Out- 
of-Town  Organizations  arranged  to  have  a 
letter  sent  by  the  Mayor  on  his  official  sta- 
tionery to  mayors  of  all  towns  within  a 
radius  of  100  miles ;  similarly  the  Chamber 
of  Commerce  secretary  wrote  to  secretaries 
of  commercial  associations;  the  county 
school  superintendent  wrote  to  many  school 
superintendents,  etc.  The  work  of  this  com- 
mittee brought  many  influential  people 
from  nearby  towns.  One  town  was  rep- 
resented by  a  delegation  consisting  of  the 
mayor,  chief  of  police,  president  of  the 
school  board,  superintendent  of  schools  and 
principal  of  the  high  school. 

The  County  Committee  prepared  a  series 
of  three  articles  for  publication  in  each  of 
the  fourteen  county  papers,  and  followed  up 


the  first  articles  by  requests  to  the  editors 
for  cooperating  committees  which  would 
work  up  an  attendance  of  people  from  their 
localities.  Speakers  were  sent  to  meetings 
arranged  for  by  these  committees.  The 
climax  was  County  Day,  when  special 
program  features  were  arranged  to  interest 
the  farmers  and  the  country  school  dele- 
gations. 

Many  groups  of  people  attended  the  ex- 
hibition on  other  "special  days"  arranged 
for  them  by  the  various  committees.  The 
Bar  Association,  Rotary  Club,  a  group  of 
Catholic  Societies,  the  Art  Club  and  others 
had  special  luncheon  or  dinner  meetings  in 
the  restaurant  at  the  exhibition  hall,  and 
were  then  conducted  through  the  exhibition 
by  members  of  the  exhibition  committees. 

By  skilful  planning,  the  exhibition  pro- 
vided a  variety  of  helps  to  enjoying  and 
profiting  by  the  exhibits  without  undue 
weariness.  In  the  first  place,  it  was  a  one- 
way exhibition  and  guide  rails  steered  the 
visitor  so  that  he  was  never  in  doubt  as  to 
which  way  to  turn.  In  the  second  place,  the 
amount  of  reading  matter  was  reduced  to  a 
minimum  and  illustrative  material  and 
graphic  devices  were  used  wherever  possi- 
ble. But  the  most  restful  feature  was  that 
at  four  different  points  in  the  hall,  well  dis- 
tributed, there  was  an  opportunity  to  sit 
down  for  ten  or  fifteen  minutes  and  watch 
one  of  the  "live  exhibits."  These  included 
a  playground,  where  children  were  con- 
tinuously present  learning  and  playing  sim- 


ple games  to  their  own  enjoyment  as  well  as 
that  of  the  visitors;  a  moving-picture  hall, 
where  films  pertaining  to  subject  matter  of 
the  exhibition  were  shown ;  the  "Play- 
house," described  below ;  and  the  "summary 
room,"  an  open  space  with  plenty  of  chairs 
where  groups  of  people  gathered  on  their 
wav  out  to  ask  questions,  suggest  and  criti- 
cise and  hear  a  brief  account  of  the  plans 
for  "follow-up"  work  in  which  they  were 
invited  to  take  part. 

The  Playhouse,  one  of  the  most  novel 
and  attractive  features  of  the  exhibition, 
was  a  charming  little  pavilion  with  white 
pillars  and  a  red  and  white  canopy  top.  A 
small  stage  with  an  interior  and  an  out- 
door setting  faced  a  seating  space  for  loo 
people.  Here,  at  half-hour  intervals,  a  15- 
minute  play  was  produced  during  each 
afternoon  and  evening  session.  Five  differ- 
ent plays,  presented  by  seven  castes  includ- 
ing some  200  amateur  performers,  were 
given  during  the  course  of  the  exhibition. 
They  illustrated  different  survey  topics, 
such  as  recreation,  charities,  industrial  con- 
ditions and  medical  inspection.  While  the 
little  plays  pointed  their  moral  rather  obvi- 
ously and  insistently  at  times,  they  were 
nevertheless  full  of  life  and  dramatic  ac- 
tion, and  were  quite  as  entertaining  as  they 
were  instructive.  The  five  plays  may  be 
briefly  summarized  as  follows: 

The  Playmaker: 

The  school  recess  bell  rings,  and  boys  corhe 
running   out    in   a   disorderly  manner.     Some 


A  SCHOOL  PLAYGROUND  AS  IT  MIGHT  BE 

The  model  of  a  school  playground  was  made  from  a  plan  included  in  the  recreation  survey,  suggesting 
a  use  of  the  grounds  of  one  of  the  Springfield  schools.  High  school  classes  prepared  the  model,  which  was 
worked  out  to  scale  with  most  careful  attention  to  every  detail. 


ffifHWil*^ 


PUBLIC  WATER  SUPPLY 

Spr'mgrield  apparenily  has  at  hand 

an  adequate    supply 
__    of  Dure  Ground  water 

SOME    NEEDS 

®  To  test  for  possible    additional 
yield  and  to  develop 
greater  reserve 

.(D  To  absolutely    eliminate 

possibility    of   pumping 
polluted  river  water 

(D   To  increase  distribution  to  serve 
30*oflJ!Ward  residents  and20%of 
6y>Ward  who  cannot  now  get  city  water 

(4)    To   supply   funds    for  the 

needed      improvements 


SEWERS  OR  WATER 
OR  BOTH  LACKING 


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»'•<=•>  FlLt"  '--''.1    ""    ^ 

indic»ttL__4_,  ^        _  T 

n«ilh«r  »«v»«r»  '  ,      "      ^    ^      | 
nor  city  we*<r  i  ■—  I     ' 


I  built-up  parts     1  u     ^' 


u 


NO  SEWERS 
AND  NO  CITY  WATER 


THREE    PANELS    IN    THE    HEALTH    EXHIRIT 

One  of  the  most  serious  evils  brought  out  in  the  health  survey  was  the  lack  of  sewers  and  of  city  water 
in  many  parts  of  the  city.  Four  maps  of  Springfield  were  presented  showing  the  large  areas  where  the 
sewers  and  the  city  water  are  lacking.  These  maps  made  a  striking  exhibit,  the  black  areas  indicating  built-up 
parts  of  the  city  lacking  these  very   necessary   services. 


THE    GRAPHIC    PRESENTATION    OF    THE    HOUSING     SURVEY 

One  of  the  main  points  made  by  the  housing  survey  was  the  iinportance  of  keeping  the  tenements  out 
of  Springfield,  now  almost  wholly  a  city  of  separate  family  homes.  The  two  panels  on  the  left  presented 
warnings  showing  the  evils  that  have  already  come  with  the  few  tenements  now  there.  The  photographs  and 
miniature  houses  at  the  back  pointed  out  Springfield's  advantage  in  having  so  inany  comfortable  family 
homes,  and  made  a  plea  for  holding  fast  to  the  standards  enumerated.  At  the  left  the  hinged  door  headed 
"Below  Standard"  could  be  lifted  by  the  explainer  or  attendant  to  reveal  the  floor  plan  of  the  "below 
standard"  dwelling. 


A    PLEA    FOR    WIDER    USE    OF    SCHOOLS    AND    CHURCHES 

This  miniature  street  shows  a  vaudeville  theatre,  a  saloon  with  a  dance  hall  above,  a  pool  room,  a 
church,  a  school  and  a  moving-picture  show.  The  places  of  amusement  were  brilliantly  lighted.  The  school 
and  the  church  were  dark.  The  small  buildings  were  cleverly  constructed  of  cardboard  and  attractively 
colored.  This  device,  like  many  of  the  others,  represents  local  volunteer  work  done  under  the  direction  of 
Walter  Storey,   who  designed  the  exhibits. 


A    PLAY    IN    "THE    PLAYHOUSE'" 

The  illustration  shows  the  opening  scene  in  a  play  called  "Why  the  Gang  Broke  Up,"  which  Has  to  do 
with  social  centers.  The  four  members  of  the  gang,  on  seeing  the  sandwich  man  with  his  announcement 
of  the  social  center,  decide  to  go  and  break  it- up.  As  they  find  their  way  to  the  different  sections  of  the 
social  center — the  gymnasium,  the  dramatic  club,  the  glee  club  and  the  dancing  class—the  boys  become  sO 
interested  that  they  forget  their  original  plan  and  one  by  one  drop  into  various  activities. 

This  play  was  one  of  a  series  of  five  l5-minute  plays  given  in  The  Playhouse,  an  attractive  pavilion  in 
the  center   of  the  exhibition   hall. 


stand  around  idly,  others  shout  and  run,  and 
some  are  fighting.  Then  the  Playmaker  comes 
and  interests  several  different  groups  in  games, 
until  they  are  enjoying  wholesome,  lively  and 
"worth-while"  play. 

4  Bundle  or  a  Boost: 
'  Father  Springfield,  benevolent  and  kind- 
hfearted,  listens  to  tales  of  distress  from  the 
pioor,  and  gives  them  the  things  they  ask  for. 
Mr.  Better  Helper  watches  for  a  while,  and 
then  goes  out  to  investigate  the  cause  of  their 
ppverty  and  troubles,  and  tries  to  remedy  that. 
He  refuses  to  give  them  baskets,  but  they  are 
spon  able  to  help  themselves. 

T^lie  Imps  and  the  Children: 
!  The  "Handicap  Imps,"  Weak  Eyes,  Sore 
"Jhroat,  Can't  Hear,  and  the  rest,  attack  the 
unprotected  school  children  and  glory  in  their 
success  in  a  mad  "Dance  of  the  Imps."  But 
when  the  School  Board  is  told  how  dangerous 
the  Imps  have  become,  they  call  doctors  and 
nurses,  Test  Tubes  and  Air  Pumps,  and  drive 
the  Imps  off  in  a  patrol  wagon.  Then  the 
children  who  have  drooped  like  tired  flowers, 
spring  up  and  dance  with  gladness. 

^The  Tzvo  Birthdays: 

There  is  joy  ki  Mrs.  Brady's  little  home,  for 
her  Joe  is  a  man  with  a  steady  job,  and  it  is 
Tim's  birthday,  and  Tim  has  won  honors  af 
school.  But  the  mine  closes,  leaving  Joe  with- 
out a  job.  Mrs.  Brady  and  Tim  go  to  work, 
so  that  on  Nannie's  birthday  the  home  shows 
neglect,  the  children  have  become  unmanage- 
able and  the  purse  is  empty.  At  last  Joe  gets 
a  job  that  will  support  them  until  the  mine 
opens  again,  and  their  troubles  are  over — for 
a  while. 

Why  the  Gang  Broke  Up: 

Four  young  men,  who  are  in  the  habit  of 
loafing  about  the  streets,  decide  to  break  up  the 
gathering  at  a  school  social  center.  However, 
when  they  find  their  way  into  the  classes,  the 
gymnasium,  the  dramatics,  the  choral  and  the 
dancing,  they  are  embarrassed  by  the  cordiality 
of  those  in  charge  and  surprised  at  the  fun  the 
young  people  are  having.  Then  gradually 
each  is  drawn  into  one  of  the  groups  and  the 
gang  is  broken  up  ! 

"The  Spring  in  Springfield"  was  the  title 
of  a  new^  type  of  industrial  exhibit  shown 
as  a  feature  of  the  survey  exhibition.  A 
space  of  25  feet  front  by  23  feet  deep  w^as 
devoted  to  this  feature.  The  background 
was  made  up  of  a  series  of  panels  3  feet 
wide  by  5  feet  high,  upon  which  were  stated  ^ 
in  attractive  and  legible  fashion  the  prin- 
cipal facts  regarding  the  nature  and  extent 
of  the  leading  industries  of  Springfield. 
The  floor  area  was  taken  up  by  a  platform 


raised  several  feet  from  the  floor,  upon 
which  were  grouped  in  realistic  fashion 
models  of  the  leading  factories  and  indus- 
tries of  the  capital  city  of  Illinois.  Each 
model  contained  electric  lights  showing 
through  the  windows. 

Perhaps  the  seven  most  distinctive  fea- 
tures of  the  Springfield  survey  exhibition 
were: 

1.  The  fact  that  it  was  based  upon  what 
many  people  feel  to  be  the  most  comprehensive 
survey  yet  conducted  of  a  medium-sized  in- 
land American  city. 

2.  The  fact  that  it  was  organized  by  the 
people  of  the  city  which  was  surveyed,  and 
financed  largely  by  them. 

3.  The  exceptional  quality  of  the  mechan- 
ical work  done  by  local  volunteers  in  the 
preparation  of  exhibits. 

4.  The  charging  of  a  lo-cent  admission  fee, 
which  probably  lessened  the  total  attendance 
but  increased  the  opportunity  for  the  careful 
examination  of  the  exhibits  by  the  thoughtful 
minded. 

5.  The  very  considerable  cooperation  on 
the  part  of  individuals,  firms  and  organiza- 
tions, which  made  possible  a  much  better  and 
more  complete  exhibition  than  the  actual 
budget  would  fiave  covered. 

6.  The  fine  example  of  community  team 
play  in  a  purely  educational  affair,  notwith- 
standing the  possibility  of  disagreement  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  suggestions  to  be  offered  by 
the  exhibits,  the  copy  for  which  was  prepared 
in  New  York  without  examination  by  the  local 
committees. 

Mary  Swain  Routzahn  was  director-in- 
chief  and  Walter  Storey  director  of  de- 
sign and  construction  of  the  exhibition. 
Both  were  from  New  York,  representing 
tfie^epartment  of  Surveys  and  Exhibits. 

Mrs.  Routzahn  spent  ten  days  in  Spring- 
field early  in  September,  meeting  with  the 
executive  committee,  developing  the  gen- 
eral plan  of  the  campaign  and  conferring 
with  those  who  were  selected  as  chairmen 
of  the  more  important  committees.  Later 
on  Mr.  Storey  went  to  Springfield  to  take 
personal  charge  of  the  construction  of  the 
exhibits  and  the  arrangement  of  the  exhibit 
hall,  working  in  cooperation  with  a  consid- 
erable g"roup  of  active  committees.  Mrs. 
Routzahn  returned  to  conduct  the  general 
campaign,  preliminary  to  the  exhibition, 
some  hundreds  of  committee  workers  and 
helpers  cooperating. 


YDU6091: 


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